Sandy+F+Article

"Grading as a Teaching Strategy", TETYC, Dec., 2001, pp 122-134 Derek Soles, Director of the writing program at Wichita State University

Article Summary by Sandy Foster

Grading papers demands time, something of which teachers are in short supply. Many writing teachers question whether their time-consuming efforts are worthwhile. Soles uses research-based arguments that if writing teachers follow these guidelines for effective grading provided in this article, they will see the beneficial effects and know that their time is well-spent. Soles believes that grading must be more than a method of assessment; it must also be a strategy to enhance learning. He provides six methods of grading written work that will do just that. First, comments on students' papers must be made in a positive, encouraging voice. Research found that teacher comments were often "hostile and mean-spirited", and these sometimes disrespectful comments would over-ride student control over the text. If the grader's comments are positive and encouraging, student writers are better motivated to revise. Students tend to skim over marginal comments but will pay close attention to the summative comments written oat the end of a paper, which students see as a personal note from the teacher. These summative comments should praise the good aspects and offer constructive ways to improve any weaknesses. Summative comments should also point out any improvements over previous assignments. What good are these summative comments if students don't read them, consider them, and reflect on them? The author provides some excellent strategies teachers can use to ensure that students do this. Having students make two lists, one describing three weaknesses and one describing three strengths, and then having them star one on each list makes students pay attention to the comments. Then as the teacher calls on students around the room to share from list one, the class has the opportunity to discuss how weaknesses can be overcome. Doing the same with strengths reinforces the elements of good writing. The author says that in his experience, this is one of the most effective whole-class strategies a teacher can do., Having students write responses to summative comments or having them write letters at the end of the semester detailing their growth as a writer requires that students pay attention to comments on their written work and helps them understand grading as rehabilitative rather than as punitive. The third method Soles recommends is matching the grading method to the assignment. Different assignments call for different things, so style and content will vary from one assignment to the next, requiring teachers to use a variety of evaluation methods. The response-with-no-grade method is best used for personal writing. Holistic grading uses a norm-referenced scale consisting of paragraphs, each of which describes the qualities of a typical student essay. This type of grading can, in part, take the place of comments since students have the rubric before they begin to write and so can try to match their writing to the qualifications of an excellent paper. Holistic grading is best used in placement tests, class assignments, and final exams. Analytic grading should be used for assignments given over a period of time. These scales are criterion referenced, such as in the 6-trait rubric listing a number of key traits. this type of grading provides the student a clear idea of their strengths and areas for improvement. Additional summative and marginal comments provide additional explanation. Establishing clear evaluative criteria and sharing it with the students are methods which support teaching. Research showsa positive correlation between a student's knowledge of the criteria and the grade the student receives on an essay. In one study which used three instructional methods, the use of criteria scales proved most effective over the study of exemplary models or writing and revision. Soles asserts that we should respond to at least one draft before giving a grade to a final copy. Responce to a work-in-progress can be one of the most valuable aspects of essay assessment. It is recommended that teachers always grade as if they are grading a draft, viewing grading as formative rather than summative. Formative assessment treats the writing assignment as an ongoing process and measures how well the student is achieving his goals for satisfying an assignment. Get together with colleagues at least once a semester for collaborative grading. The benefits of the evaluative process multiply when students receive feedback from a variety of readers. Independent grading is, to an extent, subjective. These collaborative grading sessions help control the various subjective variables. This type of grading is rare, however, because of the time constraints, but even if one-fourth of the essays a student writes for a course grade are graded by a group, student writing is likely to improve if they get feedback from a variety of readers. Soles admits these guidelines won't necessarily make grading less exhausting or time-consuming, but they will provide beneficial results, giving us confidence that at least the time spent grading written work will pay off in better student writers.